Tokyo's Nikkei Plunges
Amid Livedoor's Legal Woes

By

Andrew Morse Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Updated Jan. 18, 2006 12:01 a.m. ET

Japan's stock market plunged for a second day Wednesday as investors were whipsawed by reports that prosecutors are investigating allegations that Japanese Internet company Livedoor Co. may have concealed massive losses.

The probe sparked a selloff of Japanese stocks, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 down 510.97 points, or 3.2%, to 15294.98 at the beginning of Wednesday's afternoon session. That put the index down 5.4% since trading began Tuesday, when concerns about Livedoor's legal problems helped push the market 2.8% lower...